French and foreign researchers who have been working for over two decades, and are recognized in their field, describe the arc of their research, analyzing through the lens of their field: how they came to their subject, the state of their field at that time, the type of research they have carried out, the epistemological issues raised, the discoveries made, the books and articles written, the initiatives led, the difficulties encountered, the changes in their field over the course of a few decades, the perspectives and more.

Alternating with these lectures devoted to academics’ autobiographies and intellectual pursuits, the IEC now also invites authors of recently published books to present their work. The presentations are followed by a discussion about the subject of the book.